While school bus safety is taught in school, it is important that kindergartners receive bus safety training before their first day of school. As a parent or guardian, you are your child's most influential teacher. Please talk to your child about how to be safe around and on the bus by reviewing the following guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact the District Transportation Office at 651-403-8320. Thank you.

BUS SAFETY GUIDELINES

Be outside and ready for the bus at the scheduled time. Students should plan to get to the bus stop 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to stop. The bus cannot wait for a student who is not at the stop when it arrives. Another concern is that bus riders who are late to stops often don't act safely, and may put themselves in more danger than if they were ready on time.

Wait until the bus is stopped before moving toward the bus and getting on. Sometimes students get anxious to get on the bus as it arrives, so they run forward while the bus is still moving. This is dangerous because a student could slip or fall in front of the bus.

After getting on the bus, go to a seat, sit down and stay seated. Law requires that students be seated while the bus is moving. Students should sit down quickly so that the bus runs on time. If a student is standing when the bus is moving, injuries could occur.

Remain quiet on the bus, so you don't distract the driver. While the bus is moving, kids often talk, and that is OK unless it gets too loud. If the driver can't hear important things like sirens or train whistles, or becomes distracted, they can miss something important like a stoplight or a car coming from another direction.

Follow the directions of the bus driver. The driver is in charge of the bus, and sometimes has to tell students to be quiet, or to sit down, or to wait to get on or off of the bus. The driver’s first priority is to keep students safe.

Make sure that you get on the right bus - know your bus letters/numbers. The bus that takes a student to school may be different than the one that brings him or her home.

Always carry a type of identification with your name and address, along with your bus card. If there is a question about the bus or bus stop, the student should get out the identification and bus card and show it to the driver or teacher. The information should be in a student’s backpack at all times. We also encourage families to pin the card directly to the student’s backpack.

Be ready to get off the bus when it gets near your stop, but don't get up until the bus stops. Sometimes, young students get so involved in a conversation they don't watch for their stop and then they aren't ready to get off the bus when it arrives at their stop. This delays the bus and makes everybody else late. Occasionally, a student will miss his or her stop, and then the bus has to go back to the stop, which makes waiting parents/guardians very concerned.

After getting off, walk away from the bus. Don't stay near it. If you have to cross the street, take at least five big steps in front of the bus, and wait until the driver waves before crossing the street. NEVER GO BACK TO THE BUS ONCE YOU ARE OFF OF IT. IF YOU DROP SOMETHING, WAIT UNTIL THE BUS IS GONE AND THEN GET AN ADULT TO GO WITH YOU TO GET IT. This is extremely important. According to statistics, this is the point at which most student injuries occur. Three key points to make with your child--go five big steps in front of the bus, wait until the driver tells you to cross and never go back to the bus. If your kindergartner doesn't have to cross the street (we try to avoid it) still take time on these points. The route may change with new riders.

Note: All students in grades K-12 will be dropped off at their stop location whether or not parents/guardians are present. If necessary, parents should be at the stop 5 minutes in advance of the scheduled time and wait at the stop until the bus arrives.